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Quest
In a different class
DR. S. YAMUNA
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Instead of encouraging students to help one another, the school preferred to separate them on the basis of performance.
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Photo: H. Vibhu
Motivation: For better performance.
Deepa and Tara were friends since kindergarten. The school had a policy to separate the students on the basis of performance towards the end of Std. IX. Deepa was allotted to Section A along with other students who scored above 90 per cent.
Tara was moved to Section C as she scored only 72 per cent in the final exams. Deepa requested her class teacher to have Tara in the same class.
The well meaning class teacher said, “Deepa, you are capable of scoring much higher than what you are doing now. It is necessary that you associate with other students who score higher than you.
I find you interacting only with Tara who scores less than you. This can bring down your performance in the Board exams.
Tara needs additional coaching that would be given to her in the other section.”
Deepa did not understand. “Ma’am, I will work with Tara and we would become better together,” she said.
“Deepa, don’t waste your time. You focus on yourself and aim for centum in all subjects. Don’t worry about others,” replied the teacher.
Role of schools
Schools are institutions where discrimination based on caste, creed, religion and economic background is expected to be discouraged. Of late discrimination based on performance by school authorities has sadly become the norm. This makes students classify their classmates.
Segregation of students into various performance groups makes the students alter their self esteem. Students are under constant pressure to prove everyday to belong to a certain group. Stigmatisation and discrimination makes some students prone to depression and develop suicidal ideation.
Adolescents have empathy for their friends. To not appreciate this quality, but instead simply expect the student to achieve greater things is not value education.
Schools are temples of learning. School authorities should ensure that stigmatisation, discrimination, categorisation, segregation, selfish progression and such should not form a part of its curriculum.
Dr. S. Yamuna, is a Chennai-based consultant paediatrician and adolescent physician
E-mail:
dryamunapaed@yahoo.com
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